Konoha: Rebuild the glory of the Uchiha

Chapter 80 Mito Uzumaki, you don't look well. Should we see a doctor?

Futures Trading Hall

"It's fallen again."

"It has been slowly declining for three consecutive days."

"Brothers, I can't hold on any longer, I'm running away."

"."

The hall was as crowded as usual, but the atmosphere had become incredibly oppressive.

The real big players, Konoha and Daimyo, have almost completely withdrawn their funds. The slow rise in the past was just the last gasp of this pig iron futures market.

Large room

Kakuzu's dark green pupils stared at the three consecutive days of losses, and he was filled with anxiety.

The price of pig iron has now returned to the level it was at during White Fang's last speech, the day Kakuzu went all in with the rest of his money.

If they cut their losses now, Kakuzu would still be making a huge profit, but Kakuzu is unwilling to give up!

Kakuzu used his intelligence channels to find out that Kirigakure had landed in the Land of Fire and clashed with Konoha. There were even rumors that Kirigakure had gone north to attack Iwagakure.

Kakuzu simply smiled at this rumor: "Fake news!"

The fact that Kirigakure could land at a port that was almost halfway across the Land of Fire was simply too far-fetched, and Kakuzu didn't even take it seriously.

There's so much news, both true and false, about war.

However, the news that the Fourth Shinobi World War is escalating is true. Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have all joined the war, and it's not impossible that Sunagakure and Kumogakure will join the war again in the future.

Logically speaking, the price of pig iron should continue to rise sharply, and there's no reason for it to fall for three consecutive days!

There's definitely something fishy going on here!

There is reason to suspect that this drop was an organized sell-off by futures buyers who wanted to dump shares and then buy at the bottom!

I won't fall for it!

Hold onto your chips and patiently wait for the right opportunity to soar to new heights. Running away and getting off the bus at that point is the behavior of a novice investor.

Kakuzu comforted himself, his gaze drifting towards the room where Sakumo was. He could vaguely see Sakumo still sitting in his chair, reading a book at a leisurely pace.

If Master White Fang didn't panic, what reason did I have to worry?

Before Bai Ya, the spiritual pillar of the leeks, could speak, the leeks in the lobby on the first floor were basically wanting to run away but not daring to, all waiting for Bai Ya to come out and give them some guidance.

Three or four days later, the nobles and merchants of the Land of Fire finally received the latest news about the ninja battlefield.

The Mizukage and Tsuchikage perished together. After the Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces merged, they began a large-scale withdrawal from the battlefield. The Konoha ninja army swept through the enemy lines, reclaiming lost territory along the way!

This war, which could very well have swept across the entire ninja world once again, ended in less than two months.

And just like that, the great battle was over!

The insects were so frightened by this news that they held a meeting overnight, and there was only one core issue at play!

Please leave the market in an orderly manner. If everyone sells their futures together, they will destroy the entire market.

The meeting was filled with bickering and insults, with everyone wanting to be among the first to profit. The "insects" had already added to their positions at the peak, and if they sold now, they could still make a profit. But if the news reached those troublemakers, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they wanted to.

Nobles have power, and they can slowly recover their losses if they run out of money. Merchants, on the other hand, are in a much worse situation. They are engaged in physical trade, and the chain reaction of a broken cash flow could lead to their bankruptcy.

However, it was all too late. While they were arguing and bickering, Konoha had withdrawn its last bit of funds. Uchiha Nan gave the order to start spreading the news of Konoha's great victory throughout the Land of Fire, and the First Shinobi World War ended.

The shadows of earth and water perished together.

The Hokage is about to convene the Five Kage Summit to discuss how to build a new order in the post-war ninja world.

All sorts of rumors were spreading wildly throughout the Land of Fire, claiming that the entire futures trading hall belonged to Konoha. Naturally, such news reached the ears of the retail investors very quickly.

While the insects were still bickering, the price of pig iron futures began to plummet at an unbelievable rate, suffocating them completely.

A green downward curve pierced the eyes of retail investors, who frantically rushed to the trading window to sell their futures contracts, only to find the market filled with sell orders and devoid of buy orders.

The farmers could only lower and adjust the prices again and again, but the more they did this, the less they could sell.

Panic has gripped the entire market, and in just two days, prices have almost returned to their initial level, with pig iron prices reaching 630,000 taels per ton.

The price surge of more than a month was brought back to its original level in just two days, as if it were a dream.

Cries of anguish, curses, and regretful confessions echoed throughout the futures trading hall. Fortunately, Uchiha Nan was prepared and dispatched a large number of Konoha ninjas and soldiers under the Daimyo to jointly suppress the riot.

However, Uchiha Nan could only maintain the stability of the futures trading hall; he couldn't control anything outside of it.

The spectacular sight of aerial acrobatics swept across the Land of Fire like a whirlwind. In the capital alone, hundreds of people committed suicide by jumping off buildings every day. They were all true gamblers who had gone mad by mortgaging their family property, and some had even taken out high-interest loans.

To these people, all I can say is that they deserve to die!

Large room

Kakuzu hadn't slept for two days and two nights. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was slumped weakly on the sofa, looking completely exhausted.

"It's over, it's all over."

"All my savings from so many years are gone."

Kakuzu felt as if all five of his hearts had died. All the bounties he had earned through more than a decade of hard work and dedication to completing missions had vanished like bubbles.

"Slap slap slap"

Kakuzu slapped himself hard several times, trying to wake himself up. There was a pile of futures trading cards on the table. Kakuzu used to love them, but now he hated them just as much.

The price of pig iron is still falling, there are no buyers and only sellers, and it's hard to say how long it will continue to fall.

If futures contracts can't be sold, they're just a bunch of useless cards to Kakuzu, not even good enough to clean up his mess.

Kakuzu stared with his lifeless, despairing eyes and subconsciously glanced at Shiroya's room again.

Master White Tooth was still reading a book there!

The price plummeted within two days, completely shutting down Kakuzu's brain. He even forgot that White Fang was still in the VIP room next door.

Could things be turning around?

A spark ignited in Kakuzu's heart, which was already filled with ashes. His body, which had been starving for two days, was extremely weak. The double torment of mind and body made Kakuzu stagger to his feet, intending to go to Sakumo Hatake's room to find out what was going on.

"Splat."

Kakuzu pushed open the door, and there was only a puppet that looked exactly like White Fang sitting there with a book in its hand. White Fang had already run away two days ago, and he was still here unless White Fang was suicidal.

"Folks, remember this last sentence."

"If you don't sell, you won't lose money, smiley face."

A piece of white paper was pasted on the puppet's face, and the sarcastic words paired with the playful smile instantly shattered Kakuzu's psychological defenses.

Damn it, White Fang is in cahoots with the bookmakers!

Despair and resentment were unleashed all at once, transforming into anger.

"White Fang, I, Kakuzu, will never let you go, not even to the death!"

With a roar, Kakuzu unleashed his fury, vowing to tear White Fang to pieces. His roar echoed throughout the entire futures trading hall, and the name White Fang attracted the attention of the retail investors downstairs, who all rushed upstairs to find out what was going on.

At this moment, Sakumo Hatake had already returned to Konoha. While happily counting his money at home, Sakumo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, sensing an invisible malice marking him.

This time, Sakumo Hatake earned almost a small fortune; if he saves a little, he'll never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of his life.

"As expected, we shouldn't have left that note. The Hokage has such a twisted sense of humor."

"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit; how terrifying!"

Sakumo Hatake has already put on a mask and vowed that he will never take it off in his lifetime!

Hokage's Office

"Lord Hokage, you truly have foresight! My admiration for you is like a surging river, never to end!"

Nara Shikamaru's smile narrowed his eyes to slits as he showered Uchiha Nan with compliments. This futures trading deal couldn't be described as just profitable; it was a massive windfall.

"It was like a river overflowing its banks, spiraling out of control."

Hyuga Takuma promptly picked up the conversation, once again showering Uchiha Nan with flattery, almost like a sycophant.

"Lu Yuan, Tuo Zhen, you're too kind. This is just a display of my insignificant abilities."

Uchiha Nan made a symbolic gesture of modesty, but he was quite pleased with the flattery from Nara Shikamaru and Hyuga Takuma. Who doesn't like to hear compliments, especially since the gains this time were so substantial.

"You two have made outstanding contributions to this futures trading plan; the organization will not forget your efforts!"

"You two are my Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"You're too kind, Hokage! Hahaha!"

"."

The atmosphere in Uchiha Nan's office was lively, with the three of them laughing heartily in the room.

Suddenly the door was opened, and an uninvited guest shattered the harmonious atmosphere.

"Nara Shikamaru, Hinata Takuma, you two are finally back!"

Mito Uzumaki slammed the door open aggressively. Ever since Uchiha Nan sent the two of them to the Land of Fire to carry out that bullshit futures trading scheme, they seemed to have vanished into thin air. They could only contact Uchiha Nan through a single line, and no one else could find them.

For this ridiculous futures trading scheme, Uchiha Nan directly diverted 10 billion yen, acting arbitrarily entirely by virtue of his Hokage authority.

Now that the war is over, the results of the futures trading scheme should be made public. As soon as Nara Shikamaru and Hyuga Takuma returned, Uzumaki Mito couldn't wait to block their door.

"Uchiha Nan, you spent 10 billion on that pig iron futures deal, it's time to give an explanation."

Mito Uzumaki directly attacked Uchiha Nan, as she didn't have a good feeling about Uchiha Nan's plan from the bottom of her heart.

A ninja should do what a ninja does!

"So it's Lady Mito! You've arrived just in time. It's certainly time to give the Konoha ninja clans an explanation!"

Uchiha Nan couldn't hold back his smile any longer; he was eager to use the money to slap Uzumaki Mito in the face.

How can we let such a small group of people witness this slap in the face? We must hold a meeting and call all the ninja clans of Konoha to witness it together!

Shortly after, in the conference room

All the ninja clans of Konoha gathered together, and the Hokage said that he had an important announcement to make today: the results of the previous pig iron futures plan had been released.

I heard from Mito Uzumaki that it cost a full 10 billion yen, which is equivalent to squandering all the hard-earned money of the ninja clans. I wonder what the result will be.

The ninja clans of Konoha were so poor they had to sell their ancestral property. They had even considered using the funds from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to recoup their losses, but Uchiha Nan ended up giving back to Konoha by sacrificing his own resources.

In the past month or so, Konoha has fought another battle, a high-intensity war of attrition. Not only have another batch of ninjas died, but a lot of money is also being burned.

If this damned futures trading scheme not only fails to make money but also results in losses, then Uchiha Nan should resign as Hokage. They will fight tooth and nail to unite with the Senju clan to drag Uchiha Nan off the Hokage position and replace him with a reliable Hokage who can represent the interests of the ninja clan.

"Uchiha Kusunoki, enough with the nonsense, just announce the results."

Mito Uzumaki sat in her chair, scoffing at the formalism that Uchiha Nan had created. They could have just told her the results directly, but instead they insisted on holding a meeting to announce them.

It seems like he made money. Mito Uzumaki had a guess in his mind, but how much money could a small futures business make?

Konoha doesn't own those large iron mines, so those merchants won't give up their profits to Konoha for nothing. At most, they'll give a few hundred million taels as a token of appreciation because of Konoha's strength.

It's more worthwhile to invest so much capital in such a small profit than to invest in ninjas and reduce casualties among Konoha ninjas.

"Since Lady Mito is in such a hurry, let's get straight to the point!"

"Big Smart, tell her how much money we made this time!"

Uchiha Nan brazenly crossed his legs and gave Nara Shikahara a wink, signaling him to read out the profits to the ninja clan.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Nara Shikamaru suddenly felt a little depressed. Just now, he was being called "Sleeping Dragon," but this time he was being called "Great Brilliant." Although it was simple and straightforward, Nara Shikamaru felt that this way of addressing him was not right. The title "Sleeping Dragon" sounded much better. He should give the Hokage his opinion one of these days.

"This time, Konoha will invest 10 billion ryo in the futures plan, the Hyuga clan will invest 300 million ryo, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio will invest 500 million ryo, and the Uchiha clan will invest 1 billion ryo."

Before Nara Shikamaru could finish speaking, the ninja clans present were all speechless. Uchiha Nan had not only invested Konoha's money in the futures scheme, but had also invited the Hyuga and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans to invest as well.

The ninja clans are all very poor now. These clans have probably already sold everything they own to invest in Uchiha Nan, and they're not afraid of losing all their wealth.

"Konoha's profit this time was over 1005 billion ryo, with a net profit of over 905 billion ryo after deducting costs. The Hyuga clan's profit was over 15 billion ryo, with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's profit after deducting costs being over 25 billion ryo. The Uchiha clan's profit was over 102 billion ryo."

Nara Shikamaru kept muttering about the profits, and the exaggerated profits left all the ninja clan members speechless.

We've made a fortune! We've made a fortune!

Is it really that profitable to make money with futures trading?

We didn't get on the bus! We didn't get on the bus!

Mito Uzumaki was also speechless with shock at this outrageous figure. She seriously suspected that Uchiha Kusanagi had used 10 billion ryo as funding to send Konoha ninjas to rob the nobles and big merchants of the Land of Fire.

Otherwise, how could one make so much money from just futures trading?

Mito Uzumaki's suspicions were correct; Uchiha Nan did indeed rob those insects of their money.

It's just that we've changed to a gentler approach.

Although this amount of money was painful for the insects, it wasn't enough to cripple them when divided among themselves. After so many years of embezzlement, the insects still had a considerable fortune. Moreover, the gamblers, ninja, and bounty hunters from the Land of Fire had contributed nearly a quarter of it.

Mito Uzumaki thought of the Senju clan, who were still dirt poor. If she had supported Uchiha Nan back then, the Senju clan would have joined in. Her thoughts drifted far away, even thinking a little further ahead.

Therefore, Mito Uzumaki had a bitter expression on her face.

"Lord Mito, are you feeling unwell?"

"Should we ask one of the family's medical ninjas to take a look?"

Faced with Uchiha Nan's malicious mockery, Uzumaki Mito's face darkened even more.

(End of this chapter)